


Niblets

by nonisland



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Canon, Angels, Characters Writing Fanfiction, Community: spn_bitesized, Episode: s03e12 Jus In Bello, Episode: s04e10 Heaven and Hell, Episode: s06e21 Let It Bleed, Episode: s07e01 Meet the New Boss, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hell, Internalized Homophobia, Microfiction, Mindwiping, POV Outsider, Pre-Canon, Religious Themes & References, Season/Series 04, Season/Series 05, Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-28
Updated: 2011-10-23
Packaged: 2017-10-24 04:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/259219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonisland/pseuds/nonisland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of standalone microfiction fills ("niblets") for spn_bitesized prompts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dares Not Speak Its Name [original character: God]

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters now have the prompt in the title, to aid you in finding or avoiding anything you might (not) want to read. In the (unlikely?) event that you want to find the original prompt, you can either look yourself at [Niblets I](http://spn-bitesized.dreamwidth.org/16415.html), [Niblets II](http://spn-bitesized.dreamwidth.org/65949.html), and [Niblets III](http://spn-bitesized.dreamwidth.org/93511.html); or you can ask me. This is me trying to keep my headers shorter than my fic.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Should you find something, whilst reading one of my stories, that offends you/is incorrect/could offend others/is in any way problematic, please please _please_ do not hesitate to tell me. I will never spew hate at you, I will never attack you, and I will _always_ thank you for taking the time to let me know.

Laura hasn’t ever told anyone, too afraid even to try to save herself from damnation. She’s sitting in church; she hates herself for being there, on holy ground, the way she is.

“I am utterly indifferent to sexual orientation,” the man in the tan coat says, then, “I’m God.”

 _He isn’t God_ , Laura thinks, _he can’t be_ : God’s job is to condemn.

And then Reverend Phil chokes and crumples and dies, and Laura stares after God as He walks out of the church with something almost hopeful bleeding through the terror in her heart.


	2. I Would Give My Life to Be [Anna/Ruby: questions]

Ruby traces the skin over Anna’s shoulderblades, the places where wings once grew, and feels Anna’s heartbeat through her soft skin and marvels that Anna trusts her here—trusts a demon’s touch at her back. “Why did you fall?” Ruby asks, thinking of the weakness of humans, the small gullibility of their minds.

Anna rolls over and pulls Ruby back down to her, whispers “Because we can see that the world is beautiful” against Ruby’s throat. Her teeth are a lightning-bright edge over Ruby’s pulse.

There are worse answers than this.


	3. Like a Blossom in the Frost [Eve: beloved]

Her eldest children come screaming to her as they die. She cups their broken souls in Her palms (Her hands are tectonic plates, holding the heart of the world together) and breathes forgiveness and peace across them (gently as zephyrs stirring thistledown, though Her sighs are hurricanes), draws them back together and rocks them in Her arms into eternal rest.

Their rest _will_ be eternal.

She is the Mother of All and Her will melts diamonds, shatters mountains. For the children who love Her there is nothing She won’t do.


	4. War Is Kind [Anael: cry]

Heaven went dim as the Morningstar plummeted toward Earth, broke through, and kept falling. They all knew it would never be as bright again.

Anael had borne her sword in the ranks of Michael’s army: brought it down on old friends, used it to deflect blades raised against her by people she’d trusted.

She didn’t weep. Angels don’t.

But when Gabriel dies, when the effervescent joy of his presence is blotted out, she can’t stop the keening cry that breaks from the core of her Grace.


	5. If My Heart Was a House [Ellen/Bill: Heaven]

The Roadhouse Ash shows her the way to is almost the same as the one that’d burned down years ago, dusty and smoky and _home_. Ellen doesn’t get misty-eyed, because she’s too old and too tired for that kind of thing.

And then the door swings open and Bill walks in, healthy and whole. Ellen runs to meet him like she’s a teenager again, flings herself into his arms as if nobody’s ever let her down, and if there are tears on her cheeks, well, he’s crying too; she’ll say they’re his.


	6. Show a Girl a Good Time [Eleanor Visyak/Bobby: coffee]

The sea serpent hisses something at Eleanor, something weird and alien and totally incomprehensible.

“No,” she says, and turns to Bobby, not taking her eyes from the serpent. “Go ahead.”

He picks up the flamethrower she’d told him to bring. The serpent flees, screaming, at the first lick of flame, vanishing back into the murky water. He doesn’t know whether they need to finish it off, or how, but Eleanor looks calm now, and she’s the expert.

Eleanor says, “How about we go for coffee next time?”


	7. Sister-in-Arms [Rachel: damage]

Rachel is as inexperienced in battle as Castiel—neither of them were old enough to fight in the War—and so they stay close to each other as they descend into Hell, even once the gates are broken and the search begins.

The Righteous Man’s soul gleams through the murk in the distance, scarred and darkened almost past recognition but still there. No one else of the garrison is within call, and something massive and evil lunges at them.

“Go,” Rachel says, throwing herself blade-first between the demon and Castiel. “I’ve got you.”


	8. Of Virtue [Nancy Fitzgerald: steel]

“It needs to be someone with faith,” Ruby says. “Strong and pure enough to burn every one of those sons of bitches away.” She looks around the room, past the Winchesters—the tall one opens his mouth, but his brother snaps “ _No_ ”—and her gaze falls on Nancy. “You could do it,” she says, and Nancy doesn’t know what Ruby sees in her but—but it would be _something_ to be that good.

“Okay,” she says.

This time both of the Winchesters say no. Nancy lifts her chin and stares them down: it’s her life, isn’t it?


	9. Holding [Anna/Ruby: bleed]

Ruby’s hands are gentle on Anna’s arm, so careful they hardly even hurt. Her face is a nightmare behind her pretty skin, ugly and twisted and messy, but Anna—Anna feels _safe_ , somehow, actually feels like she can trust a demon to bandage her wounds and not take advantage of that weakness.

Anna’s skin is bright-sparking warm where Ruby’s touching it. She looks up at Ruby, really at her, and smiles.

After a moment, Ruby smiles back.


	10. Specters [Cassie/Dean: fear]

Dean never screams when he has nightmares. It’s his breathing, hard and shaky, that wakes Cassie up. He’s got it all locked inside, like he’s trying to keep her—keep everyone—from even noticing anything’s wrong.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, even though it isn’t. His eyes fly open at the sound. “It’s okay.”

“’m fine,” he says. Lies.

She wonders what it is that scares him so much, whether he’ll ever trust her enough to tell her. She tightens her arms around him and presses a kiss to his shoulder, and waits.


	11. Window of Lost Time [Lisa Braeden: reflection]

When Lisa gets out of bed and looks in a mirror for the first time since the accident she—she’s _older_ than she was expecting. There’s grey in her hair, a twist to her eyebrows as if she’s frowned a lot. The corners of her mouth are tight. She looks… _hard_. Once the only real lines on her face she had were crinkles at the corners of her eyes, but they’ve hardly deepened at all since—

Since when?

She makes a mental note to do something silly with Ben as soon as they’re released.


	12. Close Quarters [Jo/Bela: accident]

They’re after the same knife—Jo needs it; she’s pretty sure Bela just wants to sell it—and end up hiding in the same closet when it turns out its owner has _guards_. It’s like a bad heist movie.

Bela smells like expensive soap, not perfume. Her breath catches when Jo leans away from the door; they’re hip-to-hip, close enough they’re sharing breath.

Jo isn’t sure which of them kisses first. It’s slow, hot, silent, more a promise than a kiss, and she suddenly can’t wait until they’re done housebreaking.


	13. On the Shoulders of Giants [Becky: concrit]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, I guess, part of my headcanon about Becky’s fandom circle, some of which has also made its way into [this ficlet](http://non-island.livejournal.com/6824.html) (also available [here on the AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/works/224791) with slightly less aesthetically-pleasing formatting).

Becky knows where her strengths and weaknesses are, but knowing doesn’t always make it easier.

 _you need to blur up this paragraph_ , Az has written. _nobody’s thinking about clavicles while they’re trying to jump the clavicle-owner’s bones._

Or, _jesus, bee, you’re writing porn, not an instruction manual._

Sometimes Becky thinks about just writing massive epics where Sam and Dean are in love but _never have sex onscreen_ (so basically just like the books), because she’s good at that.

And then she takes a deep breath and starts making Az’s corrections. Practice makes better.


End file.
